Agitating means for electrodepositing apparatus



Sept. 8, 1925. 1,552,938

w. w. MCCORD AGITA'I'ING MEANS FOR ELECTRODEPOSITING APPARATUS Filed May16. 1924 -Wyandotte, in the 'county State of Michigan, have invented newand 'Patented Sept. 8,1925.

. UNITED srA'rss PATENT or 1,552,938. FICE.

a Mrs. 00., or DETROIT, mo nman, a conronp'rxon or MAINE.

Aonul'rmo umiws r013. ELECTRODEPOSI'IING arrana'rus.

I Application flledlay 16, 1924. Serial No. 718,667.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thMG I WILLIAM W. MoCoRn, a citizen of the United States,residing at of Wayne and useful Improvements in Agitating Means forElectrodepositing Apparatus, of which the following 18 a specification.This invention relates to means for agitat ing the metal stock inthedeposition tank of anv electro-depositing apparatus to pre vent thestock from matting and making faulty the operation of the device.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a front view, partly n sectlon,of an electro-depositing apparatus supplied with the agitating means ofmy invention;

and

Fig. 2 is a sectional view, partly in elevation, taken on line 22 of 1.

In Fig. 1, the electro-depositlng units 1, 2, and 3 are connectedtogether for electrolyte circulation in accordance with my invention asdescribed and claimed in my copending application, filed May 16, 1924,Serial No. 713,668. Each unit has a depositing tank 4, in which isjournaled a drum or mandrel 5, on which the metal content of theelectrolyte is deposited in sheet form. Copper sheets are stripped fromthe drums 5 when theelectrolyte contains copper sulphate. Each tank 4 isarranged over a storage tank 6, the dividing wall. 7 between them havingan outlet openlng 8 whereby the depositing and storage tanks havecommunication.

For each unit 1, 2, and 3, I provide a pump 9.- Each pump 9, as shown inFig. 2, has a pulley 10 by which it may be operated.

The inlet pipe 11 of the pump is connected with the storage tank ,4,-while the discharge pipe 12 opens into the depositing tank 4 adjacentits upper end.

Units 1 to 3 are connected together for electrol te circulation in thefollowing manner. The depositing tank 4 of unit 1 is connected by a pipe13 with the storage tank 6 of unit 2. The depositing tank of unit 3 isconnected by a pipe 14 with the storage tank 6 of unit 2. The storagetanks of the three units are connected by pipes 15 and 16, respectively,as shown in Fig. 1.

In operation, the pump 9 of the first unit 1 draws electrolyte from itsstorage tank 6 and by pipes 11 and 12 delivers the same to itsdeposition tank 4. On passing the drum 5 in this unit, the electrolyteflows by pipe 13 to the storage tank 6 of the next unit 2, thence bypump 9 and its pipes 11 and 12 of unit 2'into its tank 4, past drum 5 ofunit 2. The electrolyte passes to the storage tank 6 of unit 2 throughthe outlet 8 in the wall 7 and by pipe 15 is returned to storage tank 6of unit 1, or by pipe 16 is delivered to the storage tank 6 of unit 3.The electrolyte is pumped throu h unit 3 by its pump 9 past drum 5 ofsai unit. A return to the storage tank 6 .of unit 2 may be made by pipe14 or pass on to another unit included in the system, as suggested inFig. 1, by pipe 13. By pipes 14:, 15, 16, Fig. 1 shows how the unitsillustrated are included in a circuit with other units for electrolytecirculation.

Each unit is provided with an insoluble anode face 17, preferably aperforated lead sheet, following the contour of the drum 5 of the unitand connected by conductors 18 with the bus bars 19 on the tank 4 of theunit for current'flow in accordance with the electrical hook-up in anapparatus of this kind. Of the three, unit 2 is the only one that issupplied with metal stock from time to time to furnish the metal contentfor the electrolyte. When copper is the metal being deposited on thedrums 5 to make sheets, scrap copper, preferably of light gage in smallpieces as produced in making automobile and like radiators, is placed inthe tank 4 of'unit 2 in the space 20 to furnish copper sulphate to theelectrolyte. Units 1 and 3 are not supplied with scrap metal.

Supplying unit 2 with metal stock or scrap copper and not supplyingunits 1 and 3 withmetal stock produces in unit 2 copper sulphate inexcess of the amount that canbe deposited out by unit 2. Circulating theelectrolyte from one unit to the other, the excess metallic content orcopper sulphate is deposited out of the electrolyte in those units notsupplied with metal stock. This maintains a substantially constant oreven percentage of metallic content in the electrolytic bath at alltimes, thus keeping the electrolyte in a workable state and making theunlts operate at a low current cost and producing a good grade of copperon the drums, all as set forth in my said copending application.

When the metal stock employed is in the WIIIQIAII w. moon, or wYAnnorrE,MICHIGAN, AssIdNoIt T0 Mcoonn aama'roa lot . apart at regular intervalsof about eighteen form of small pieces of light-gage copper scrap, thismaterial, after being wet by the electrolyte and in some cases becomlngslightly covered with small copper sulphate crystals, has a tendency tomat together 1n a bulk part way down the inclined walls of the tank 4,in which the metal stock is introduced. The scrap is fed in at the topof the tank, passing down by gravity to the bottom under the anode 17.When it becomes matted, it 'revents this passing to the bottom, with t eresult that eventually all the scrap at the bottom becomes :drawn inchesendwise of the drum 5 and being in the space between the bottom wall 7of the drum and the anode sheet 17 are in the stock or scrap in thetank. These rods may be agitated either by hand or mechanically for afew inches each way in a sidewlse direction at frequent intervals and,inasmuch as the rods follow the contour of the anode 17, they extendthroughout the tank 4 and on being agitated agitate the scrap or stockto prevent it matting in the tank so that the scrap flows freely ofitself to the bottom as it is used therefrom, thus maintainin thevoltage and current cost at an even gure. Conductors 22 connect theserods with the bus bars 20 to increase the current supply to the scrap.

By two collector ring and brush assembles 23 on-each drum shaft 24connected by a conductor 25 with a bus bar 26, each drum 5 is placed inthe electrical current required for an apparatus of the kind described.Each drum 5 is rotated through a pulley 5 on its shaft 24.

I claim as myinvention:

1. In an electro-depositin unit having a deposition tank and a catho eand an anode therein, of means in the tank for agitating the metal stockto prevent it matting in the tank.

2. In an electrodepositing unit having a deposition tank and a cathodeand an anode therein, of means in the tank for agitating the metal stockto prevent it matting in the tank, and current conductors connected withsaid means for supplying current to the stock.

3. In an electro-depositing unit having a deposition tank and a cathodedrum there- 1n, of a curved perforated anode sheet in said tank undersaid drum, and means in the tank under said sheet and following thecontour thereof for agitating the metal stock to prevent it matting inthe tank.

4. In an electro-depositing unit having a deposition tank and a cathodedrum therein, of a curved perforated anode sheet in said tank under saiddrum, a plurality of rods in the tank under said sheet and followin thecontour thereof, said rods being spaced apart endwise of the drum andadapted to be agitated to prevent matting of the metal stock supplied tothe tank under said sheet, and current conductors leading to said anodesheet and bars for supplying current thereto.

5. In an electro-depositing unit having a deposition tank, a cathode andan anode therein, the bottom wall of said tank having downwardlyextending inclined sections to feed the metal stock introduced thereintoward the bottom of the tank, and means in the tankfor agitating themetal stock to prevent it matting in the tank.

6. In an electro-depositing unit having a deposition tank with a cathodetherein, a

plurality of rods in the tank and supported thereby, said rods beingspaced apart and extending down into the tank and through the metalstock and adapted to be agitated to prevent matting of the metal stockin the tank.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I afiix mysignature this 8th day of May, 1924.

WILLIAM W. MCCORD.

